Sunday, April 28, 2013

Dedicated to all who strive to do what is right and in spite of their best efforts, find themselves without a soul mate at this time. One day you will be rewarded in a passionate and pure romance that exceeds conventional understanding. My love and respect to you, always.

We waltz between the petals of the night
Here under moon dripped canopy we dance.
The earth has died away and all is right
Within this fairy innocent romance.

The stars gaze down in sweet and soft caress
As weary children we claim blessings sure
And finally the truth of soul express
With honest hearts and all intentions pure.

The soldier's garb's been finally cast aside
And silken robes of gold and azure hue
Erase the pain of souls so sorely tried.
All griefs depart and agonies subdue.

At last the pair find overwhelming bliss
As lips embrace in true love's tender kiss.

Once long before this shadow life unfurled
We stood in joyful peace and glory bright,
And basking in a purer, greater world
Where God illumined all in heaven's light,
I know I knew you there and at my side
We fought against the wrong, promoting right.
How well I know we fought to stem the tide
Of wickedness. Our harmony of heart
I foolish hoped would ever strong abide.
But then came birth and things we knew would start
To blow away in winds of emptiness
And knowledge of the past must soon depart.
I sadly watched your light and soul digress
And echoes of the former life grew still.
I saw your shallow strivings to impress
The mortal realm of wickedness and ill.
I cannot stop your actions or your choice
But still my heart would plead that you fulfill
Your right that once again we may rejoice
In righteousness and holiness of soul.
I cannot bear the cowered, silenced voice
That once shook mountains. So it was your role.

You're still the same with power sorely breached -
What would I give to see that heart unleashed!

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Have you ever experienced the frustration when a friendship or relationship is broken, not because of any lack of affection, but because the circumstances proved too difficult for the relationship to continue? Story of my life. But I maintain that friendships can mend, even if the two parties have not spoken in years. Indeed, I never consider any friendship I have lost to be gone forever. I look upon it as only a momentary hiatus, that each may catch his breath and then come together again in more powerful fervor than ever before and I do not know of any person in my personal history that I would not welcome back if they had a mind to present themselves.

I wandered through sweet heaven's light
And found myself by your dear side.
We've walked from day to darkest night
But still I beg "with me abide."

I'm feeling lost without your soul
And nothing in this world is sure.
My fate combines into your role
Eternally. Our love is pure

And grander than this world can grasp
My heart to yours calls hopefully
And love for you I ever clasp
To inward soul, though woefully.

I feel the void without your love
And hope for answers soon at hand.
Come, let us look to grace above
And in eternal joy we'll stand.

*I had a few specific people in mind when I penned this, but it certainly applies to anyone who has touched our souls and has made their mark powerfully in an uplifting manner in our lives. To all of you out there who fit this description in my life and history, thank you and I love you!

The echo of my soul to yours
Rebounds in friendship back to mine.
The mortal chains of worldliness
Lay broken by the love divine

That keeps my heart alight and strong
In spite of darkness in this life.
You lend a hope and joyfulness
That pierces through the pain and strife.

My love I leave with you and hope
That blessings rain upon the soul
That fuses now along with mine
And finds my broken heart made whole.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

I can hear some people now saying "Realistic religion - isn't that an oxymoron?" Others may argue "religion is for the hereafter, and shouldn't be held to things of this world." But if a religion is true, if God cares about His children and if He knows everything, then oughtn't He speak about both the mortal realm as well as the ethereal? He is, after all, Master over the temporal realm and heaven itself. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has a rather radical way of taking this absolutely literally, and those who abide by its precepts tend to prove well prepared for the tempests of this life.

Let me explain. Mormon doctrine doesn't only teach about heaven, hell, and the evils of immorality. We also hear from the pulpit things like the importance of staying out of debt, how to get and stay out of debt, the wisdom and actual command to accumulate a store of food in case of emergency, and the like. When Mitt Romney said "We have a moral responsibility to spend less than we take in" he was speaking fluent Mormon. We are even commanded to have a garden in whatever capacity we can according to our circumstances. Why in the world would a religion discuss things like this? Well, look at the full name of the church. It is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Latter Day. If one believes, really believes in the prophesies of Isaiah, Revelations, and the like, then one would know that in the last days the inhabitants of the world would be subject to tempests, earthquakes, war and the like. It is part of our religion to recognize that we are living in those foreseen lawless times and to prepare to meet the circumstances outlined head on.

How does this play out in actual day to day living? When natural disasters break out throughout the world the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is almost invariably a part of the rescuing aid. We have in store hygiene kits, blankets, clothes, food and the like under the direction of church headquarters. Our members are trained in meetings to respond to natural disasters. I have seen the church offer free classes to anyone wanting to learn to communicate via radio in case other technology fails, and I have seen areas respond to emergency drills in order to check on every single one of the members in case of disaster. We have at all times a network called home teaching in order to ensure that every member is accounted for and helped. We are taught and encouraged to learn to live as simply as possible and be able to rough it at a moment's notice. My friends, if God cares about His children, and He does, He will not only provide for their eternal welfare but help them care for themselves in their immediate surroundings. He give the opportunity to walk by faith and without cause for terror, for if we are prepared, we will not fear.

Monday, April 15, 2013

I tend to look a bit askance at the idea that women often tote, "I can compete in the workplace, I can do the job of a man, and that makes me a liberated woman." Call me absurd, but if a woman measures her femininity by the masculine things she can do and feels she can or has to compete with a man, how liberated is she, really? It seems to me that a woman is most liberated when she does what women do best - be women! Rather than competing with a man on his own turf, let's focus on complimenting him on our own.

I should add that I earn my bread in the capacity of a financial executive in a construction company. This is a necessity. I do my job, and I do it well, so my associates tell me. But that is a job. It isn't who I am.

Perhaps we ought to define what femininity is. It would take volumes but I think it is safe to say that a real woman is strong, smart, creative, and optimistic. I have heard some women cry that they are not the creative type. We are the creative sex, ladies! When was the last time you saw a man carry a baby on his hips for nine months? My point exactly. We are the naturally compassionate, nurturing side of the species. Being a woman means being a problem solver, a person who sees and creates beauty all around her for the sake of enjoying beauty, communing with uplifting things, and rendering service to others. I heard a conversation not long ago of a man relating to a woman (they were friends - not dating) the annoying problem of losing electric power in his living room. Without a moment's hesitation the woman responded that he ought to get candles and a gourmet dinner. Brethren, level with me. Which one of you honestly wouldn't like having a lady like that by his side? Incidentally, he indicated that he might like to spend some more time with her almost immediately after this exchange, which brings me to my next point.

Ladies, I speak to those who are interested in having or keeping a man in their lives. Let's look at the situation in its true character. Women often think that the same tools they use in the workplace will win a man over. Examples of this include taking the lead, forcing a negative situation to change by clobbering it until it does and the like. Way wrong answer in the love arena. Ladies, unless the guy you want is a homosexual, he probably wants you to behave like a woman, not like a man at the office. And if he is homosexual, you have another problem on your hands altogether. Either way, take some time today to get in touch with your feminine side and rejoice in the gorgeous, powerful, wonderful daughter of God that you are!

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Some time ago, during the presidental election uproar, questions about Mitt Romney and Mormonism arose like so many bullets shooting out at me from every direction. Some were from naysayers, some from honest seekers of knowledge and some just out of curiosity. One man with whom I often conversed asked me point blank what Mormons believed. He wanted it all from the beginning and I could see he was ready to start swinging almost no matter what my answer would be. I began with a calm and placid smile.

"Mormonism is based on the single fact that God loves everyone, no matter who they are, where they live, when they live, or what they do. Everything else is just detail." Opponent. Disarmed.

I honestly think he sincerely wanted to know but had heard many horrible things about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He and I discussed much of this but there are some extra points that we didn't have time to address. Allow me to explain why I defined my faith in these terms. What makes Mormonism most different than other Christian sects? Well, first there is The Book of Mormon. The point and purpose of that book is to convince people that God loves all people, no matter part of the globe they inhabit. He does not merely care only about people living in Jerusalem. That is the heart and soul of The Book of Mormon. Another thing that sets us apart is our practice of performing baptisms vicariously for the dead according to our belief that God does not simply condemn a person because he or she had no opportunity to learn about the gospel whilst in the mortal realm. Most Christian sects believe that baptism is required for salvation. How then if a person lived a wonderful life but never heard the name of Jesus Christ? It makes no logical sense that a loving God would damn such a person when baptism was out of their reach.

This same man asked later what I had to say about salvation. I answered directly and immediately, "Salvation comes in and through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ and in no other way." We all make mistakes, and though the moral standards of the Church tend to seem sky high, we recognize that God loves everyone and has given us the opportunity, through the grace of Jesus Christ, to come back. There are some who would class Mormonism as a cult, an organization inspired by Satan and heaven only knows what else. If this is the kind of doctrine that would constitute a cult then so be it. Say what you will; we love you anyway.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

I have been very pensive of late
and filled with gratitude to God for His miraculous blessings to me.I cannot thank Him enough.More specifically, I am grateful as I review
the events of the past few years in my pilgrimage as it were in recovering from
post traumatic stress.I am hardly fully
recovered at present, but there was a time when I could not rise from my bed,
could not read more than a sentence at a time, and in mind and body had as it
were not one stone left upon another.And in answer to many a fervent prayer God did not immediately heal me
but guided others to help me rebuild my life one shred at a time.I would like to take a moment and thank some
of those many who helped in restoring my health and life.

Firstly, I would be amiss to
forget my parents who took me to Cancun and other places of relaxation and my
mother who ensured, among other things, that I would eat every day, for I had
not presence of mind enough to do even that.I am grateful also to relatives such as Crystal Junior and Martha
Schreiber who took my situation seriously when others often too harshly
attempted to dismiss its magnitude.I
thank Annie Smith, who taught and encouraged me when I came to turn to yoga as
a means of healing, Rachel, my personal trainer who taught me the power of the
human body in all its precious aspects, Jeff Comer who also instructed me in
yoga and through whose teaching I learned how to connect spirit, body, mind and
heart, using one to strengthen another, and the gorgeous yoga instructor Ms.
Allisa Blue who acts as a continual reminder that life is more than merely
staying alive. This became paramount to
my healing and to that end I also thank Coral Newberry for teaching by example
that God is not only in the strict hand of order but also and equally in the
joy of soul driven creativity.

I am tremendously grateful to
Rocky Twitchell for discovering and believing in me, acting as a friend and
brother in Christ in the truest of forms.I come even to tears of gratitude for the exquisite Mark Byrnes who
believed in me and saw not only goodness but greatness in me when I could least
see it in myself.If guardian angels
exist in the flesh, he is most certainly mine.My memory does not serve well from this period of my life, but I recall
vaguely reading the works of Dr. Greg Jackson after my ability to read returned
and though the trauma is still too thick to recall everything I remember that
it pleased the Lord to employ his work as a means of breaking open a floodgate
of light and memory, if only on a temporary basis.My gratitude to him and his labors as
well.

I come now to the twins who have never
met.They bear a common name of Eddie,
and oh!How much each has enriched my
life!Eddie Aguirre pulled me out of
darkness as it were and after a year of my hardly cracking a smile, left me
literally crying with laughter, struggling for breath and a fresh perspective
on life overtaking me.His counterpart,
“Mister” Eddie, as he is commonly known, in doing little more than being his
own wonderful self, helped bring me to a glorious dawn after the darkest of
nights.The goodness of his personality and
the ethereal light of his spirit acted as a balm of Gilead on my pained and
suffering soul.

Yet all these wonderful people
together are as nothing compared to the One who really brought me this
far.He has been my sun, my moon, and
starlit sky; He is my confidante, my benefactor, my friend and the purest joy I
have ever known.He has urged me on and
carried me through things I never believed I could have survived.I love Him with a passion that all the world
cannot lessen, a devotion that I shall surely employ the rest of my life
illustrating, and a confidence unshakable and ennobling.He is my first consideration in the morning,
my last at night, and not a conscious hour passes that I do not rejoice in my
Lord Jesus Christ.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Ironically enough, this is in no way a political statement. The topic for this post has marinated in my mind for quite some time and I feel it advisable to share my thoughts and ideas on the subject now. I am not speaking against anything here - merely celebrating the exquisite power of something that is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful aspects of humanity.

I hardly have to bring up Human Sexuality 101 to state the point that physically speaking, men and women were created and designed to compliment each other perfectly. It is in our genetic make up to come together perfectly and to powerful effect in the ultimate creation of another human being. What other aspect of our lives proves as creative, godlike, and awe inspiring? I can't think of one. But there is something more than the physical constituent in a heterosexual relationship.

I have had the striking opportunity to counsel with a woman who through much sexual abuse and trauma forgot entirely what romance was and became terribly afraid of having anything to do with men. She says "it felt like half of my soul was wrenched away in the course of this amnesia. Half of my progression, identity and destiny were torn out of my soul and there was nothing I could do about it." She has learned, little by little, to stand being around men but generally cannot stand to have them touch her or sensually hit on her. She continues "there is a spiritual power between man and woman, a vibe, that nothing else in this world can substitute. Even being in the same room with a good, decent man softens and calms feminine anxiety on a spiritually microscopic level. The reverse is probably true."

There you have it. We aren't just made for each other physically, but also emotionally and no less powerfully, spiritually. There is a synergy between man and woman that is blindingly bright and pure. And as this woman's situation has proven, it doesn't have to be a sexual or even mildly physical relationship in order to carry great power. We often hear in this world from people praising other versions of romantic love. Let's take some initiative to enjoy and celebrate the beauty of the classic man and woman romantic perfection.

Friday, April 5, 2013

I often have women ask me in great enthusiasm to share my secrets of "being skinny." My friends, I have only one secret and I would that every person in this world knew it. I wish I could flood the earth with this one secret, because the effects would be astronomical. The secret to being, not skinny, but healthy in every way, is to learn to love your body.

Now, please don't get me wrong. Psychiatrists, media, and well meaning friends tell us to love our bodies in the sense that we accept ourselves as we are and learn to love our outer frames in spite of our human flaws. That is good and sensible. But if you want real change, it has to be more than skin deep. When I discuss loving one's body I don't mean loving the muscles, curves or other sexual attractions. I mean really, really learn to love the body. All of it.

When I meditate I sometimes bring my focused attention to my heart, the marrow in my bones, or my personal favorite, the space inside the walls of the blood vessels. I bring my focus, compassion, love and acceptance to every fiber of my body, inside and out. I treat my body with care, neither training too hard at the gym, nor starving myself, nor keeping it too long idle, nor allowing unhealthy food to pass my lips. I treat it with sacred respect. Furthermore, I keep it modestly clothed, because frankly this chiseled temple is not just anyone's business.

What is the effect of this? Well firstly, it brings the body to its ultimate best. My best physique will be different from yours, and yours will be different from your neighbors. My genetics are different from yours, and believe me, I have received insults to the point of abuse for having a "less than perfect" build. But the powers that be, call it God, fate or what you will, make no mistakes. Each kind of build has its beauty within it, both masculine and feminine. Accept what you have and hold your head high, being the best you can be. But whatever your best, caring properly for your body will bring it to its ideal weight and hold it there without incurring worry about keeping it at a certain size. Secondly, you worry less about what others think of your appearance and more about loving and respecting yourself. The result? People see and unconsciously realize that you are something special. You realize that you are something special and that your worth does not pivot according your looks. So that is my secret - the only one I have. The rest is merely detail.